


The Hitchhiker

by hit_the_books



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Related, Case Fic, F/M, First Kiss, Original Monster(s), Original Mythology, Season/Series 09, Sexual Content, Strained Friendships, spncasefic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:22:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hit_the_books/pseuds/hit_the_books
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The unusual death of a rancher couple leads Jody to call in Dean and Sam to help with a state-wide case. Body count rising and the relationship between Sam and Dean strained after the eviction of Gadreel: it's going to be tough for the three of them to be able to stop this new breed of monster in time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hitchhiker

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the awesome [SPN Case Fic Mini-Bang](http://spncasefic.tumblr.com/). Find the [master post here](http://spncasefic.tumblr.com/post/144154877903/the-hitchhiker).
> 
> Thanks to [Amberdreams](http://archiveofourown.org/users/amberdreams) for the amazing art to go with this fic. [Check out the art post here](http://amberdreams.livejournal.com/409654.html).
> 
> Thanks to [Zeryx](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeryx) for being my beta on this fic.

The television is still on in the living room. There’s a  commentator sounding excited, but Harry has no idea if it’s for the Lions or the Cowboys. Don’t ask Harry what the score is: he’s been hiding in the master bedroom closet for the past 20 minutes.

Don’t ask his wife, Rachel, either. She’s been dead on the living room floor for the past 25 minutes. It had ripped her throat out first. Harry remembers how the spray of her hot blood felt as it spattered across his right cheek. Iron tang hitting his nostrils.

Skittering claws scrape over the hardwood floor, like a dog’s would, and Harry clutches the baseball bat closer to his chest, knuckles white. The creature on the other side of the closet door had been a gift to his wife on their anniversary.

What with its cute black button nose, red fur, bushy striped tail and dark furry face: how could Harry have said no when he looked at it in the pet shop as it played with the toys in its cage. Easy to feed: leafy greens and grubs. House broken…

 _Yeah, house broken alright…_ Harry thinks darkly to himself as the pet gives a shrill cry and snuffles at the closet door once more.

And then another shrill cry sounds from somewhere else in the house.

And another.

Distantly outside comes another cry. Harry gets the bat ready. He’s surrounded. Claws start to scratch and a sound like a dog worrying a toy—grunting and gnawing—reverberates through the wood of the closet door.

Wickedly efficient claws and teeth. Harry knows this: he’s already seen them in action during Rachel’s final moments of being alive.

 _Why the hell did I let her convince me to get a damn gun case and stick the whole lot in the basement?!_ Harry curses as he hears the wood splintering. _I shoulda kept the .45 in here at least! And why didn’t I fix the damn light?!_

Light shines into the closet as a hole opens up at the bottom of the door. A tiny black snout pushes into the hole and snuffs at the air. Desperately, Harry shoves the end of the baseball bat down on the exposed snout. It hits the creature and its angry cry is picked up by the rest of its friends.

Harry counts more than fifteen sources of noise from outside the bedroom. Several from inside the room. More claws and teeth meet with the wood of the door now— _and Rachel had said no at first to the hardwood panels! Ha_ —and begin their work to break through.

In the pet store, the manager had said the pet was a distant relative of Red Pandas. Rachel had called her new companion Squibble. Harry believed it was a stupid name, but he hadn’t told her that.

Prayers spill from Harry’s lips as the door shakes in its frame, hinges screeching. With a deafening crack the door gives way, the bottom a heap of wooden splinters. Lazy winter daylight pours in and so does a sea of red and black fur towing bushy striped tails.

Squibble is here, blood clogged fur and all, one of Rachel’s brown eyes dangling from its jaw.

***

Blinking her eyes open again, trying to overcome her tiredness, Jody sips from the big cup of coffee she ordered from a nearby Starbucks. Sitting in the main meeting room in the FBI satellite office in Rapid City, she almost wishes her right shoulder was still all busted up. Not that she’s dying to take a tumble with another Roman goddess anytime soon.

 _C’mon, let’s just get this over with and maybe I won’t have to die of boredom first_ , Jody thinks gloomily as she studies the PowerPoint that’s being projected onto the wall furthest from her.  She’d missed the same training session, which had been held at the Sioux Falls satellite office, while recovering from her encounter with Vesta. Now sat in the office, she was quickly beginning to doubt how the session would help her.

“100 ways local law enforcement can help keep minors safe online,” Jody reads under her breath. It’s not that she doesn’t care, quite the opposite in fact, and had already watched a recording of the damn session online. But no, she had to go to the actual thing, didn’t she, and it had to be on a Monday.

There’s four more sheriffs sat in the room, all of them giving Jody a wide berth—she assumes because she’s the only woman there—when she hears some commotion outside the meeting room. There’s feet jogging past and raised voices.

Agent Fancher pops her auburn head into the room and clears her throat. “Sorry everyone, but we’ve got an emergency. I appreciate that some of you came a long ways, but we’re gonna have to reschedule.”

A collective groan rolls through those gathered there. Jody grabs her jacket, gets up, and walks over to Fancher before the redhead has a chance to depart.

“Mind if I tag along? I’d hate to have driven over six hours for just a cup of coffee,” Jody grins and Fancher smiles back.

“If you don’t mind riding with Sheriff Daniels, seeing as how it’s his jurisdiction, sure thing.” Fancher waves behind her and Daniels appears in the doorway. “We’re heading out in 10 minutes, you mind letting Sheriff Mills ride with you?”

Mills had liaised with Daniels before. A reasonable guy, divorced and in his forties, he was nice enough to be around. The pepper gray haired man gave a grim smile. “Sure thing, Agent Fancher. Well, you and your large coffee better follow me.”

Shaking her head in amusement, Jody follows Daniels out of the offices and to his on-duty SUV, in the cold January air. Patches of snow are piled up here and there, but so far there hasn’t been any fresh snow today.

Once they’re on the road, Jody finally asks where they’re going and what’s up.

“Heading out to a ranch near Edgemont… And well, we’re not sure. The 911 caller was hysterical,” Daniels replies as they leave the outskirts of Rapid City and he begins to pick up speed, putting his lights on when Fancher does hers.

“And the FBI?”

“Shit sounded bad. I heard the call… we’re not sure what to expect, and need all the help we’re offered by my reckoning.” And there’s that realistic attitude that Jody had come to appreciate from Daniels during the few times they had to work together.

Jody feels a tingle of professional excitement creep up her spine as they head towards Edgemont.

***

Blankets and sheets wrapped tightly around him, Sam pretends to still be asleep as Dean tiptoes into his room and climbs up on his bed. It’s Tuesday morning. He knows what’s coming as a pillow he’s not using is gently lifted from behind him. The number of “brotherly” acts Dean’s been using from his repertoire has been staggering, but not unexpected.

It was like what Sam had said to Dean after they’d taken care of the Pishtaco problem in Stillwater had meant nothing. He knew his words had cut deep, but he needed Dean to realize and understand that they couldn’t go back to the way things were. Not without some significant changes in their relationship. And maybe Sam didn’t feel like the one making those changes right now—he was the one who’d had an angel forced into him after all. Knew what it was like to kill Kevin.

Hadn’t chosen any of this.

The pillow slams at such high speed into his shoulder and the side of his face that Sam’s almost surprised when the pillow doesn’t split open. In one swift move, Sam untangles himself, rolls over and grabs Dean by the hips before wrestling him down onto the bed and giving him a warning glare.

“I’m awake!” Sam snaps, trying to stop his gaze from shifting to the sliver of the Mark of Cain that’s exposed on Dean’s arm.

“Good, then maybe you can help me eat the waffles I made,” Dean replies, voice serious. Not that the seriousness quite reaches his eyes.

“Oh for…” Sam rolls off of Dean and  climbs out of his bed, grabbing a sweater on his way out of his room. “I’ll see you in five,” Sam states, not bothering to look back at his brother.

Dean tries not to let Sam’s coldness get to him, but it’s hard. And gets harder every time he thinks back on what Sam said to him after they dealt with those fat-sucking monsters. Sighing, Dean climbs out of Sam’s bed and heads back to the kitchen.

Having warmed their plates to help keep the food hot, Dean frets around the kitchen table, making sure he’s got everything out that he thinks Sam will want. A bowl of berries. Honey. Vanilla flavored soya yoghurt. There’s some maple syrup in a jug for Dean’s waffles and a slice of cooked ham. Dean pours himself and Sam some fresh coffee from the coffee maker. He takes the coffees back over to the table and sits down.

Sweater drawn up around his neck as he tries to keep the cold at bay, Sam shuffles into the kitchen, his bed sweats and a pair of thick socks clearly not doing enough to keep him warm. Sam still looks drawn out, like his skin has been stretched across his bones, but Dean doesn’t say anything, instead he just pushes what he thinks Sam will want towards him.

“Thanks,” Sam says curtly as he picks up the bowl of berries and spoons some on top of his waffles.

“No problem,” Dean says with much more warmth, pouring maple syrup over his plate of food. Dean’s all ready for the day, all washed and dressed, ready for them to find a case to focus on.

Silently attacking his waffles, Sam spears the cooked batter savagely and begins to devour them at speed, taking sips of coffee here and there. He doesn’t care that it looks like he wants to be out of the same space as Dean as quickly as possible. Just as Sam is worried that Dean will try to start a fresh conversation, his brother’s cell begins to ring. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam watches Dean answer the cell.

“Hey, Jody! Don’t say we’ve got another roman goddess on the— Oh, wow. No, yeah… that sounds… uh-huh… yes… yeah, sounds like our kind of thing… We can be on the road in… 30 minutes and over in Edgemont by… that’s Fall River county… so seven or so hours?”

Sam finishes his waffles and begins to glug down his remaining coffee.

“Sure, we’ll meet you at the ranch this afternoon.” Dean hangs up and looks over at Sam, a pleased grin on his face. “Sounds like we got a case. You game?”

“What’s the case?” Sam asks in a neutral voice as he gets up to clear away his breakfast things.

Dean starts cutting his waffles and ham up, ready to shovel it all into his mouth. “Husband and wife, ranch owners, were found dead in the family home. Partially eaten. And—”

“The bites don’t look like no animal bites anyone’s ever seen?” Sam interjects as he starts to clean his dishes.

“Exactly. I got no idea why Jody’s all the way over in Fall River County, but I’m sure we’ll find out once we get there.”

Nodding, Sam starts to head towards the communal bathrooms. “I’ll meet you the by the car,” Sam says simply, chest aching a little at the thought of being stuck in the Impala with Dean for seven hours.

***

Passing through the bitter frozen January landscape, Sam doesn’t thaw out towards Dean as his brother— _not that we’re brothers at the moment_ — tries to make small talk.

Dean asks if Sam caught any of the Cowboys on Sunday. Tries to keep conversation on the few similar interests they have. Questions what lore Sam’s got his nose stuck in as he reads on the front seat. Asks if Sam’s getting a haircut soon.

The lore question, Sam does respond to. After a couple of text messages with Jody, it becomes clear that they’re not dealing with a werewolf.

“So if it’s not a werewolf could it actually be an animal attack?” Dean ponders out loud.

“Bites don’t match anything found in North America or most zoos.” Sam’s cell vibrates and he pulls it out to see what’s come through. “Jody’s sent some pics.”

Downloading the photos, Sam studies the grim scenes and the close up pics of two of the victims. Around the bodies, he catches glimpses of paw prints, but they’re not in focus enough and the few photos Jody’s sent through don’t have the clarity he needs to get a good look.

But the bites? Sam twists his cell this way and that, and he can’t see the resemblance with anything he knows.

“They’re pretty small bites,” Sam says more to himself, than to Dean. “But they’re deep and have torn through all the way to bone without gnawing. Jody did text something about a door looking like it had been gnawed through.

“Looking at these images though, I’d have to say whatever it is has no trouble ripping through people.”

“That’s reassuring,” Dean says, concern deep in his voice. Though Sam’s unsure if the concern is for the case or for the fact that he’s dodged all of Dean’s personal questions so far.

“Oh and we’re journalists, not Feds. The Feds are already there.”

“Fantastic,” Dean replies sarcastically.

Ignoring Dean’s sarcasm, Sam thinks about how it’s going to be nice to see Jody again. It had been pretty good working that last case with her. Despite now knowing what Vesta’s words about him really meant.

There’d been a moment, once Jody had been fixed-up, where Sam and her had been sat in her kitchen, having coffee together while Dean made some calls in another room. There’d been a lot of smiles and Sam had felt his heart flutter a little.

No matter how he’d had an angel inside him at the time, he’s pretty sure that that flutter was all him.

***

It’s reassuring seeing the familiar gleaming black paint and shining trim coming into view. Jody climbs out of Sheriff Daniels’ vehicle and heads over to greet the boys. Forensics are still working the house over.

Agent Fancher had already gone back to the office in Rapid City so that she could better liaise with the field office in Minneapolis. Two more bodies had been discovered since the initial call the previous morning. Those bodies had been deceased longer and were over on the other side of the state line with Wyoming. It was an FBI case for sure, but with the deaths clearly not human in origin and altogether kinda “weird” as Fancher had put it, it’s all hands on deck with local law enforcement, the state troopers and the FBI working together.

Just as Jody reaches the Impala, a friendly young agent with short black hair— Agent Jones—jogs over with a bag filled with sandwiches. Jody takes the bag from her and thanks Jones before finally getting over to Sam and Dean.

“Sheriff Mills,” Dean greets in his best, professional sounding voice, “thanks for calling us in on this.”

“Yes, boys, anything you can do to help, we’d all be mighty glad,” Jody says a little louder than she would do normally. But it’s all for the benefit of Agent Jones hearing them. “Lunch?”

Dean grins and Sam offers a weak smile of thanks as Jody holds up the bag. Her spidey senses tingle, or her mom ones do, as she takes in the difference between Dean and Sam. Jody can tell something’s up, but she’s not sure what.

Gathering inside the Impala, Jody goes over what they know. “Found some red fur as well. Strands of it, here and there. Almost the same color as a fox, but not quite. Plus, I ain’t ever heard of a fox, or a group of foxes, that could do what I’ve seen here.”

“I take it the deceased have already been moved to the morgue?” Sam asks and then takes another bite of his sub.

“Yeah, about two hours ago. Or what was left of them. Some of the guys on Sheriff Daniels’ team are hunters in their own time, y’know, the regular sort.” Jody chuckles and she notes how Dean grins, but Sam doesn’t.

“Anyway, they tracked the same creatures heading into the farm from one side and then leaving it the other, heading deeper into the state. Like they’d come in from Wyoming, hundreds of miles away and were marching through.” Jody takes a sip of coffee and then chews on more sandwich.

Dean creases his brow and looks thoughtful for a moment. “There any sign of them before Wyoming?”

“Not as far as our FBI friends, the state troopers and local law enforcement can tell. Starts in Wyoming and heads this way. But they’re changing direction, going more north east now.”

There’s a knock on the window nearest Jody and she winds it down. “Hey Daniels.”

“Hey, hey…?”

“Oh, this is Dean Manners and Sam Fielding, they run an online hunting magazine. Thought they might have some luck identifying what we’ve got on our hands.” Jody supplies.

“Great. Can I have a word with you a sec?” Daniels smiles at Sam and Dean.

 _Oh god, what is it now?_ Jody wonders as she gets out of the car. “Just a sec, boys.”

Following Daniels away from the Impala and over to his SUV, Jody wonders what’s going on now. Daniels stops and leans against his vehicle.

“Just had a call from Fancher. They found a truck driver just over the state line, chewed up like Harry and Rachel and those other people. Truck was heading this way.” Daniels gives a grim smile.

“With the tracks stopping beside a road in Wyoming…”

“Whatever it is, I think it’s smart and it’s dangerous. I appreciate you calling in some extra help, but I can’t see how a bunch of hunting enthusiasts are gonna be much help here.” Daniels nods towards the Impala.

“Well, let’s give them a chance? Can’t hurt.”

“If you say so. Forensics has finished in the house and the barn if you want those two to have a look around.” Daniels gives Jody a warm smile. He hadn’t needed to tell her that. “Just make sure they cover their hands and shoes.”

“Of course… Thanks, Larry.” Jody gives Daniels an appreciative smile.

“Anytime.”

Jody heads back to the Impala and catches Sam looking morosely out his window. She wants to pull him into a hug and ask what’s up. Since they handled Vesta together, Jody had been feeling something, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

***

There’s paw prints everywhere. Blood smeared on the walls. Tufts of fur caught in splodges of blood or stuck to pillows and the couch.

In the kitchen, Dean bends down towards a waterbowl normally used for dogs. “Anyone see the family dog? Or did it become chow for whatever... this… is?” Dean waves his hand at a smear of blood on a nearby wall.

Jody stands beside him. “The maid who put the call in did say, after Daniels had calmed her down, that Mr. Edwards had bought his wife a new pet. And there’s been no sign of it.”

“New pet?” Dean frowns. “She doesn’t know what it was?”

Sam appears in the kitchen, carrying a dog bed in his latex gloved hands. “Said it looked a little like a raccoon. Whatever it was, it's got reddish fur.”

“Like the fur found everywhere else?” Dean asks, standing up now.

Jody pulls out her cell and dials a number. “Hey, Fancher. Yeah quick question—there been any reddish fur found at the other scenes? Uh-huh, okay thanks.” Jody hangs up.

“So?” Prompts Dean.

“Same fur at the other scenes,” Jody states.

Dean looks over to Sam and sees his brother lost in thought. He knows he’s got something churning away inside that head of his, but he stays quiet, waiting.

“Okay,” Sam finally starts, “what if the Edwards’ new pet wasn’t really a pet. What if it’s some strange species of monster—”

“That’s intelligent enough to hitchhike with a truck driver,” Jody fills in.

Clasping his own gloved hands together, Dean lets out a long breath. “Looks like this is our kind of case, Jody.”

***

In the freezing January air, Sam and Dean had followed Jody to the edge of the ranch, tracking the tiny footprints left by whatever they were dealing with. The tracks cut right through a barn, the bovine occupants now all summarily dead, and continued on for several miles until they reached a road and then stopped.

Likely whatever it was had hitchhiked again. They were no closer to figuring out what it was. What they really needed was a glimpse of the creature or creatures. All they knew was that they seemed to have a healthy appetite. Sam was trying to think of ways they might do that when they were looking at the barn again— _and I have never been so glad for freezing conditions, ‘cause it would stink in here_ —and a flashing red LED catches his eye.

Moving towards the light, Sam reaches it and the security camera it’s attached to. “Say, has anyone checked the security footage?”

“No. Wow, good find,” Jody says, coming over to Sam.

And it was. No wonder no one had seen it before, it was well hidden, undoubtedly to keep it out of the view of cattle rustlers. It takes twenty minutes to figure out where the USB cable attached to the camera is going to. Sam slowly tracks it across frozen ground to some kind of old survival shelter.

Dean picks the lock and Sam heads in, first, gun drawn just in case, and finds the terminal the camera’s feeding back to. “Jody,” Sam calls, “you better have a look at this.”

Light footsteps coming down into the shelter, Dean keeps lookout as Sam lets Jody operate the computer, gloves on, chain of evidence in tact for the moment. They have to wind back over a day, but finally, _finally_ , they see it.

The sub Sam had eaten over an hour ago threatens to come up again.

On screen are dozens of small creatures, that almost look like raccoons, but their size and shape is different, as is the tone of their markings. And their little beady eyes don’t look quite right in the enhanced footage: they glow white. The footage phases in and out of clarity, breaking up in places. Sam tries to think of what these dark faced creatures almost look like and then it hits him as he thinks back on the color of the fur they’ve found.

“They almost,” Sam says, leaning closer to Jody than is necessary, “look like red pandas. But their faces are a little different.”

Jody is still beside Sam, but he can hear her breathing going a little faster than it had been. “Red pandas?”

Sam almost doesn’t register the change in Jody’s breathing, but when he does, his own breathing speeds up. “Yeah... they live in parts of China and the Himalayas, normally. These almost look like them.” Sam turns towards the stairs, “Dean?!”

Shoes thud down the wooden steps and Dean joins them. “What you got?”

Jabbing a finger at the screen, Sam points at one of the clearest creatures as it sets upon a bullock. “They’re almost like red pandas, but not.”

“But then,” Dean quirks his head as he looks, “how the hell do all of these manage to go hitchhiking on trucks? There’s gotta be three dozen of the things on screen.”

“I dunno. But if we start searching the lore for something from the same places you normally find red pandas, maybe we’ll come up with a lead.”

***

 _At least he’s talking more_ , Dean thinks as he watches Sam and Jody pour over a couple of books they had brought in with them. They’re in a motel room back in Rapid Falls, the ranch no longer able to give them any new clues. Everyone’s in their civvies, plaid all round.

Sipping a beer, Dean’s listening to a police scanner. He’s pretty certain that another mutilated truck driver is going to be found, and he’s going to hear about it when it does happen. Licking his lips, he kinda wishes he had something harder, but he needs to have his head clear enough to drive at a moment’s notice.

Sneaking a glance at Sam and Jody as they work, Dean raises an eyebrow. _What have we here?_ Dean ponders, noticing Sam’s knee touching Jody’s and the way their hands keep knocking together. It’s clear that either Sam or both him and Jody aren’t aware of just how close they’re getting.

“Hey, I got something!” Jody cries in excitement as she jabs a finger at a page in an old leathery tome.

Dean twists in his seat to give them his full attention and notes how Sam’s practically on top of Jody as he reads what she’s pointing at.

“The jhūṭā bhālu birālō a.k.a. false bear cat, is found mainly in Nepal and has been long feared. Similar in size, shape and markings to bhālu birālō, its bear cat cousins, it is anything but. The false bear cat eats mainly humans, though will diversify into other mammals if it its preferred food source is unavailable.

“Their familial and social structures are unknown, though it is believed that they are joined by a psychic hive mind.”

Realizing his beer bottle is empty, Dean gets up and grabs another one from the refrigerator. “They sound delightful.”

“But what are they doing here?” Jody asks, still close to Sam.

Sam rubs at the back of his neck. “Well, I think one of them must have been a pet of the ranchers and the rest… rescued it?”

Opening the bottle, Dean frowns. “Please tell me that book says how to kill these things?”

Sam frowns. “It’s suggesting a hardened bamboo cane dipped in goat’s blood.”

Jody gets up and Dean catches the way she strokes against Sam as she does. “How do you kill thirty of those things in one go?”

“Pit trap?” Dean suggests half seriously and then the scanner begins to pick up something interesting.

Another trucker has been found dead. About halfway to Sioux Falls, just outside Presho, not that they know what the final destination may be.

***

It’s debateable whether the two hour drive is worth it. Jody’s got a strong stomach— _only gotten stronger since I’ve known these boys_ —but after she’s vomited for the third time, she’s pretty sure photos would have sufficed.

Still, Sam and Dean insist on following a series of tracks that run alongside the road for a mile and then stop beside deep tire grooves set into a soft verge. The false bear cat or cats are still on the road.

“How do they keep… well… hitching rides?” Jody asks as they head back towards the truck of the latest victim, Sam on her right and Dean on her left.

“Jody’s got a point. Any ideas, Sam?”

It’s not hard to see the deliberate pause that Sam leaves before answering his brother. “Maybe the creatures can make themselves look human?”

“A truck driver isn’t going to let three dozen people hitch with him.” Dean starts powering ahead.

Sam shakes his head. “He would if he thinks he’s only letting one person in.” Sam turns to Jody, “Hey, did anyone find a camera in this driver’s cabin?”

“There was something on one of the reports about a camera being found, and Fancher and a few other agents watched the footage, but said it’s corrupted.” Jody has to take longer strides to keep up now.

Sam stops and Jody collides into him. His sharp reflexes catch her in his arms and Jody finds herself looking up at Sam.

There’s a huge smile on Sam’s face and he asks in a tone that shouldn’t send a shiver down Jody’s spine, but it does, “Think you can get us a copy of the cabin footage?”

***

Camped out in another motel room, Sam squints at the footage from the truck and is absorbed by it. He’s slowed the speed down to a frame every second. It shows the truck stopping at the side of the road and the driver opening their window to talk to someone. Then the footage begins to break up and then becomes pixelated noise until the trucker’s corpse is on display once Sam fast forwards past the noise.

He watches through the footage three times and then finally catches a reflection in one tiny corner of the video. It’s not much, it’s not clear, but for the briefest moment, two frames before the noise, there’s a feminine figure reflected in the window. Eyes white discs and long flowing, dark hair surrounding the creature’s face.

Winding back those couple of frames, Sam pauses the footage. “I think I’ve got something.”

Dean’s first at his elbow, but Sam doesn’t offer anything until Jody is also looking over his shoulder.

“Our hitchhiker,” declares Sam. Jody bends over Sam’s shoulder, leaning a hand on him and he swallows, trying to keep his thoughts on track as she brushes up against him. Feeling his cheeks warm, Sam looks down, hoping that no one will notice his composure breaking down.

“The eyes... is that normal?” Jody asks, her perfume washing over Sam. She smells like peaches and summer.

“It’s a… recurring feature in this line of work. Shapeshifters and demons, for instance, their eyes look weird on camera,” Dean answers.

Jody pulls back and stands, hand remaining on Sam’s shoulder. “So I could I use the camera on my cell to see them?”

“And ghosts,” Dean adds.

Trying to keep his mind on the job, Sam tries to figure out what they should do next. “It clearly has something to do with the jhūṭā bhālu birālō—”

“I’m glad you can pronounce that,” says Jody and squeezes Sam’s shoulder.

Sam feels a surprised tightness in his chest at the contact. Maybe they’d grown closer while working the case on Vesta, things were feeling more intense between them than they ever had before. The two of them just seem to be being drawn closer together. Self-imposed isolation from Dean, keeping himself to himself—not sitting with him in the evenings or ignoring his questions—was beginning to take its toll on Sam. But the more time he spends with Jody, the more Sam feels like he’s a part of something again.

 _Mmmhmmm_. “If it isn’t actually one of them. I need more books. There’s something we’re clearly missing.”

Sam can practically hear the slump of Dean’s shoulders. “That’s over a five hour drive and no one else is going to have a chance against a swarm of these things.”

“We need more lore,” Sam replies, only just keeping himself in check. The last thing he wants right now is for Dean to push for the way things have always been, where they take his lead and damn what anyone else thinks.

Jody’s hand tenses on his shoulder. “How about Sam and I go back to the Bunker, is it? And find out what’s really going on with the jh—jhū...ṭā…”

 _And god does she sound cute_. “Jhūṭā bhālu birālō,” Sam finishes for Jody.

“And you can keep an eye on things here?” Jody asks Dean.

“What about work?” Dean asks with what Sam thinks is mock concern.

“If Fancher or my office asks where I’m at, I’ll think of something. But home’s in capable hands and I’m already using some overdue vacation time to look into this.”

“You’re using your vacation time for this?” Sam looks up at Jody, unable to hide the surprise he feels.

“Well, it’s a little out of my jurisdiction. Fancher and Daniels are letting me help out, because Daniels and I have worked together previously. The other sheriffs involved now don’t mind my input.”

“Well, if everything’s fine with Jody… and you, Dean,” Sam looks to his brother, “we’ll go find out what this woman has to do with the false bear cats.”

It’s hard to miss the frown on Dean’s face as he finally nods in agreement. “Fine, fine… I’m gonna see if I can hunt down some bamboo and goat's blood. And, y’know, try not to be recognized by the suits covering this case.”

***

Not that Jody wanted to make it her business… but she is going to make it her business as another silent mile rolls by. She’d had enough of the coldness between the two brothers, despite the warmth she was feeling from Sam all of a sudden.

“So, what the hell is up with you and Dean, huh?”

Even without taking her eyes off the road, Jody knows Sam is tensing beside her. Yes, she wants to explore what those fond looks, soft voice and lingering touches mean, but there’s no way Jody can ignore what’s going on between her two boys.

“Well?” Jody prompts when Sam doesn’t offer up an explanation.

The sigh he lets out is long and hard. “It’s… complicated.”

“We got three more hours to go. We can do complicated.”

And have you ever wished you hadn’t asked for someone to go into a lengthy explanation? Jody almost does, but then she feels so much more as Sam explains everything that had happened since Crowley had almost killed her. How he’d been convinced by Dean to not finish the trials to close Hell and how he’d almost died. The angel that Dean had let him be tricked into accepting. And…

“I can still feel Kevin’s fear. The second he knew. And the pain. And god.... Jody… I just can’t forgive Dean about this. I might be healed now, thanks to Cas—”

“Your angel, buddy, right?”

“Yeah. But… Dean should have let me die or finish the trials and die. Because so much bad has happened.”

“You helped me save those people from Vesta. And I _know_ you’ve helped others besides. Sam… your life is worth something.”

“But at what cost?” Sam slumps in his seat. “Kevin didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

The sorrow and regret sings to Jody and she wants to reach out and pull Sam close, hold him. Show him his life is worth something. But she needs to drive, because there are other people’s lives at stake and—

“Sam… you matter.”

There’s no reply to that. Just silence and Sam breathing deeply, clearly trying to keep his eyes dry.

***

“Uh, welcome to the Bunker,” Sam announces as he shows Jody in from the garage. “Former secret underground… base… of the Men of Letters.”

Sam’s acting like some master of ceremonies for a nineteenth century Barnum museum. Surrounded by the most rare of curios and curiosities. He waves his hands around and lets his mouth run away from him as his excitement pushes him forwards.

“So, this Bunker has one of the biggest archives of supernatural knowledge and haul of artifacts that we’ve ever known. I mean, I’m not sure if anything quite like this place exists anywhere else. We’ve got first editions, magic weapons... Scrolls in so many dead languages that I don’t know where to start…” Sam and Jody reach the library and are stood in front of a bookcase Sam’s sure will have what they need.

Sam’s mouth continues to have a mind of its own, “It’s kind of weird to think that if our grandfather hadn’t died then we would have been raised as Men of Letters rather than Hunters…”

Fingers stretching out towards a shelf of old, leather bound books, Sam partly registers how close Jody is to him as he picks out the book he had needed all along. Had known he’d needed about an hour into their journey.

“Will this tell us what we need to know?” Jody asks in a whisper.

“I hope so. This is, _A Land Before Mao: The Preternatural in the Orient Before the Rise of Communism_ , it’s amazing,” Sam starts to geek out, “just how many creatures described in this are nowhere to be found in books and scrolls based on the new world and the old world. I’ve only read some of it.”

Carrying the book over to one of the desks, Sam sits down and pulls out a chair for Jody. Sam appreciates the silence that Jody allows to build as he opens the book and heads to the index. Pointer finger pressed up against the paper, Sam scans down “J” until he finds “jhūṭā bhālu birālō”. He flips to the page it’s discussed.

“The jhūṭā bhālu birālō, or false bear cats, are…” Sam skips ahead, the sentiments similar to what they had already found, “groups are ruled by a Rānī, or queen, who leads with a hive mind. The jhūṭā bhālu birālō feed mainly on humans and move from place to place during mating season as their Rānī searches for suitable mates. They mate normally in the winter months, carrying their brood until the start of summer…”

Sam skips some more. “Vulnerable to hardened bamboo dipped in goat’s blood, killing the Rānī will also kill the rest of the jhūṭā bhālu birālō in its brood.” Sam finishes and takes several deep breaths, realizing he had barely paused to breathe.

Jody has yet to say anything and Sam turns to look at her as she sits beside him. Pink, red, black and white plaid fitting just right and—

“I better tell Dean and…” Sam pauses, not sure what expression is on Jody’s face as he watches her eyes wander over him. Pulling out his cell, Sam calls Dean. Their conversation is short, but Sam gets his message across before hanging up.

“We should get a few hours before heading back,” suggests Jody, and then Sam’s massive hand is on the back of her neck, drawing her in and Sam doesn’t know if he should have asked, but Jody looks too good to just leave hanging there. The first press of their lips is necessity, finally offering a translation for the past day or so.

Jody’s lips part and welcome Sam, letting him lick inside and slide their tongues together. The sheriff tastes of the orange soda she had one state ago and smells of peaches. Her words echo in Sam’s head as the kiss continues: that he matters. _Jody thinks I matter._

In need of air, they pull apart and Sam takes in Jody’s flushed cheeks, dark eyes and rapid breathing. Sam stands and Jody shakily gets up beside him. Reaching a hand out, Sam grips Jody and drags her out of the library and towards the bedrooms.

It’s not that Sam wants to go all caveman on Jody, but when he easily picks her up in his strong arms and pulls her legs around his waist, he just wants Jody close. Close and within reach, enveloping his senses. He buries his face (several times on the way to his room) in the opening of Jody’s shirt. Drinking her in. Tongue flicking out and tasting her. Revelling in the way she tastes so sweet.

 

Flicking on the light in his room is almost an afterthought and then Sam’s laying Jody down. He doesn’t think of her as an older woman, but as someone he wants to show how much he cares for.

***

Jody’s already sliding over herself when she hits the mattress of Sam’s bed. Her legs aching from gripping onto Sam’s waist, but she doesn’t care, because Sam’s energy and enthusiasm feels like an elixir.

Maybe there’s a half second where her brain complains about the age difference, but she tells it to fuck off the moment Sam drags her boots off and shucks down her jeans and panties. Stops worrying the moment Sam’s mouth and nose find her wetness and bury themselves in it.

“Christ, Sam!” Jody cries out as Sam’s finger coaxes her g-spot, tongue flicking back and forth on her clit.

The eagerness behind his movements confirms that Sam means business and Jody is happy for him to take what he wants—give him want he wants. She can’t remember the last time someone else made her feel this good. Hand gripping her hip powerfully, Sam moans into her and Jody feels the vibrations, muscles tightening.

She yells as she comes, shuddering and wanting more.

Massive frame crawling up hers, Sam nuzzles at Jody’s chest and neck, before whispering in her ear, “Wanna be inside you.”

That makes Jody moan and reach down between the two of them. She feel’s Sam’s hardness still restrained by his jeans, and then Jody’s working the younger Winchester’s flies and zipper open. Hands switching to his shirts and trying to pull them off. Sam gets the message and climbs off his bed, shirts, jeans, underwear and boots all quickly removed.

Unabashedly, Jody drinks in the sight before her. If Sam had been near death recently, she could see no trace of it now, with the definition of his muscles and how everything tapered off just right. His hair was falling around his face a little as his chest rose up and down.

“You better take the rest of that off,” Sam says in a low demanding voice. Jody rushes to comply as Sam goes to a drawer and pulls out a condom.

Shirts halfway over her head— _fuck buttons_ —Jody hears the foil around the condom packet opening and she peeks a little from underneath her shirts. Jody watches Sam roll the condom down his quite substantial length. And sure, Jody had had hook-ups after the death of her husband and before they’d even married, but she can’t quite remember any of those guys being quite so... large.

The bed shifts as Sam climbs on and then he’s helping Jody pull her shirts off. Before Jody can do it herself, Sam’s left hand whips behind her and undoes her bra. A satisfied smile breaks over Sam’s face as he watches Jody’s bra slip away from her chest. Part of Jody feels like she should be self-conscious right now, remember that her body isn’t as young as what it used to be, but the look on Sam’s face tells her she is beautiful.

Sam swiftly drags the bra straps down Jody’s shoulders and arms, and then flings it away into the debris of clothing surrounding the bed. His mouth heads straight for her left breast and starts sucking eagerly on her nipple—making her feel warm and aching for more—as he lays her down on the bed.

Jody lets Sam climb between her legs and he pulls off of her breast. Hazel eyes watch her brown ones and then Sam begins to slide into her. Gasping a little at the size, Jody pulls Sam’s mouth down onto hers as he slides the rest of the way in and kisses him hungrily as he bottoms out.

The first thrust draws a cry from Jody and then everything devolves into noise: cries, yells, shouts, pleas, praise, skin slapping on skin, gasps and moans. From both of them. Sam starts slow, but quickly picks up speed as he seems to realize that Jody isn’t some delicate flower.

Sweat gathering across her breasts, Jody can’t get enough of Sam’s sweet musky scent, burying her nose into the crook of his neck and shoulder as much as she can get away with. And if she’s not doing that, Sam’s sucking on her breasts like he might actually be able to nurse from them—which Jody finds more of a turn on than she thought possible, but tries not to think on it too much.

Jody can’t quite stop herself from moaning when Sam’s suddenly out of her reach and kneeling back on his heels, pulls her legs and hips up. Holding on to her legs, as he thrusts down, the sudden change in angle has Sam expertly dragging him over her—

“Fuck, SAM!” Jody cries out, closing her eyes as the sensations inside her core become just that bit too much.

Sam’s finger finds Jody’s clit, slicked up with her own juices, and begins to rub her tantalizingly fast.

“Open your eyes,” Sam orders.

And Jody finds herself unable to resist. She opens her eyes and looks up at Sam.

“Look at you, fucking perfect. Laid out for me like this. Taking my cock so well.” Sam grunts and Jody clenches around him, the praise bringing her that step closer.

“Sam…” Is all Jody can manage.

“Want you to come for me,” Sam commands.

Jody screams as the pounding cock inside her, tenacious finger and hungry-praise filled looks from Sam tip her over the edge. She comes, and as her orgasm shakes through her, Sam lets go of her legs and crawls back down, eating her noises as her oversensitized body claims a third, smaller orgasm.

Kissing her wetly and sloppily, Sam cries into Jody’s mouth as finally, his own orgasm hits. Muscular frame shaking above Jody.

Sam finally pulls out. He takes off the condom and slings it in the trash. Sam crawls into bed beside Jody and pulls her into his massive arms.

“Just a couple of hours,” Sam mumbles into Jody’s hair.

“C-couple of hours,” Jody yawns in agreement.

Covering them with sheets and blankets as their sweat begins to cool, Jody’s not sure what the two of them have right now, but she can’t deny that it feels good.

***

Vince Phillips can’t stop staring over at the pretty dark haired woman he has sat beside him in his truck cab. She’s dressed simply in black jeans, sneakers and a bright red long-sleeved turtleneck. Vince had been afraid that she was going to be dangerously cold when he picked her up from the side of the road just outside of Presho. It being night and freezing. Thankfully she’d shown no signs of needing to be taken to the ER.

She hadn’t said much, except to tell him where she was going and that her name is Kamala.

He had thought it strange how she refused his offers of soda and jerky as they headed towards Sioux Falls. _But each to themselves_ , Vince had decided as they drew closer to their final destination. They were just twenty minutes from the depot he was delivering to on the other side of the town.

A strange snuffling noise comes to Vince’s ears. He could have sworn there were most definitely no animals in or on his rig. But there it is again. Taking his eyes from the road, he looks over to Kamala who is staring out her window. Vince can’t see her face.

“Hey, do you hear that?”

Leisurely turning to face him, Vince screams when he sees Kamala’s face. There are far too many teeth in her mouth.

Vince watches as Kamala lunges and pulls the rig over to the side of the road, through a locked gate and into an empty parking lot. The cabin doors open seemingly of their own accord and the snuffling noise gets louder.

He can’t see the source, but feels something else is in there with them. A lot of something else.

Vince blinks and dozens of black beady eyes are staring at him. Too many for him to count. He screams again as the first set of teeth rips into the flesh of his neck and causes warm blood to gush over the side of the cabin.

***

If Dean’s feeling a little jumpy as he observes the forensics team from a block away, while sat on a rooftop, binoculars out, he feels he has a right to be. Still not completely at ease being in the vicinity of a dozen federal officers, Dean wishes it was more like a regular case with the monster staying put. Sure, he and Sam are meant to be dead, but you never know how many real Feds might just recognize you from a former nationwide manhunt.

Having done his best to keep his distance from Agent Fancher and her peers at all the other sites they’d looked at, Dean’s keeping it up now as he observes them working over the latest truck. It’s stopped outside a boarded up retail strip that’s seen better days. Sam and Jody were coming straight to Sioux Falls and supposedly Daniels had already been in contact with her.

Not that Sam had told him that. Jody had ended up talking to him when Sam had said he needed to concentrate on a book passage he was reading. It had hurt a little being passed over like that. That had been three hours ago and they’d already been on the road a while.

Shifting, Dean tries to get some feeling back in his limbs, body unimpressed with being laid out on a flat roof in the cold January air. His cell starts vibrating in his jacket pocket. Getting into a sitting position, Dean pulls it out.

“We’re in town,” Sam states. “Where’d you want to meet?”

Dean’s barely keeping his teeth from chattering. “There’s a diner a couple of blocks from the site, it’s at,” Dean explains the directions. “Does Jody need to head to the station?”

“No, she’s already been filled in and made it clear she’ll be checking the scene out, despite being on vacation.” There’s a level of fondness in Sam’s voice as he talks about Jody and Dean starts to suspect something might have happened at the Bunker.

“Alright, I’ll see you at the diner—”

Sam ends the call and Dean sighs. It hurts to think about what his and Sam’s relationship has become, so instead Dean doesn’t and takes one look back at the crime scene. He spots Fancher talking with some other fed he doesn’t recognise.

Climbing off the roof, Dean starts thinking about the Rānī and wonders what it’s doing. He trawls back over what Sam had told him the night before as he gets into the Impala.

 _Okay, so it’s in Sioux Falls. Population center. Meals on legs everywhere…_ And then Dean wonders about one particular detail and can feel his skin crawling more than the thought of humans being eaten. _Son of a bitch is looking for a mate… but why here? There’s guys all over the place? Hell it’s been shacking up with male truck drivers._

Dean’s unsure how much breakfast he’s going to be able to handle as that theory rattles around inside his head. Parking up outside the diner, he sees Jody’s empty SUV.

 _Welp. Time to see the happy couple._ Dean heads into the diner and is at least glad of the warmth that washes over him when he steps inside. Jody is the one that waves Dean over to the booth they’re sharing.

It’s telling the way that Jody is fenced in by Sam as he sips a cup of coffee. _Protective Sam is on the case_.

“You’re freezing!” Jody scolds Dean as he sits down.

Dean’s rubbing his hands together as he battles to get some real feeling back in them. “I’ll be fine,” and deflecting adds, “soooooooo…” He looks between Jody and Sam. No one says anything.

A waitress comes over and Dean orders a cup of coffee and a breakfast special. Another waitress brings over a bowl of granola, yoghurt and fruit for Sam, and a plate of scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon and mushrooms for Jody.

“I think I know why the Rānī is here!” Dean and Sam blurt out at the same time.

Jody points at Dean. “You first.”

Holding the warm cup of coffee between his hands as he tries to defrost them, Dean answers, “It’s in Sioux Falls looking for a mate.”

Sam nods in agreement. “Yeah, that’s what I figured after finding out it likes to mate with suitable human males.”

“How do we find it then? There’s over a 150,000 people living here!” Jody slumps in her seat and looks up at Sam who returns a concerned gaze back.

“Is there anything happening in town this week that might, y’know, draw it here?” Sam asks, _and fuck he’s stroking the back of Jody’s hand. Okay, I thought they had done the deed, but it’s weird seeing them the other side of the looking glass._

Jody starts picking at her breakfast, thoughtful. “Oh… there might be something. Though the damn thing’s organized if that’s why it’s here.”

“Jody?” Sam asks, stroking Jody’s hand.

“The NPC, um, Central USA Championship is in town. It’s a national qualifying event. They asked me to help judge for a couple of tiers… Kinda forgotten about it in all of this.”

“NPC?” Sam asks with a raised eyebrow.

“National Physique Committee,” Dean answers, “y’know, bodybuilders.”

Dean’s not sure what to make of the expression Sam is giving him.

“How do you even know this?” Sam asks, and suddenly it’s like how it use to be. There’s a mirthful look in Sam’s eyes and Dean can feel his heart twisting a little as Sam’s guard falls away.

“I, uh, was asked if I wanted to take part in a regional event a ways back.” Dean blushes and is thankful when his plate of bacon, ham, eggs and potato hash with mushrooms and onions shows up.

***

Limiting their time at the latest crime scene to a minimum, they all check in with the NPC event later that day. Sam and Dean are volunteering as stewards, dressed in smartly in suits. Though Sam finds himself being intimidated by several of the guys there who are taller than him and have more muscle mass, of course.

But every time he has cause to be near the judges’ table in the hotel, Sam can’t help the odd flare of jealousy he feels at the parade of men in front of Jody. He’s fine when it’s female contestants, but the guys… Jody is one of the few women on the panel.

“Reign it in, Sammy!” Dean hisses as he’s caught glaring at one buff contestant.

Sam looks away and huffs out a breath. They’d both been given access to the event’s Instagram account and were also meant to be taking behind the scene photos of the event. It had given them the perfect ruse for having their cells out and cameras on. The social media posts don’t excuse the sticks of hardened bamboo tucked in their slacks. Bamboo that just happen to be sharpened at one end and dipped in goat’s blood before being wrapped up.

And okay, maybe they had taken some pretty good pics for the people liking and commenting on the account. Regardless, the sooner the whole case was wrapped, the better—preferably with no more dead people or Jody being given a contestant’s cell number.

Breaking away from Dean to go get several stragglers from the changing rooms, Sam just casually checks a few people through the camera on his cell. Including some of the audience members. There’s nothing out of place in what he can see. Everyone on screen looks normal and altogether human.

He’s about to put his cell away when two glowing white dots on his screen catch his attention. Fading into the background, so he can watch without being spotted, Sam catches a woman on his camera who looks close enough to the woman from the truck footage. Her eyes are definitely glowing under the camera’s scrutiny. Thankfully there’s no sign of her brood.

Keeping an eye on the Rānī, Sam phones Dean.

“Hey, Sammy!” Dean answers happily, “Sorry, Clarissa, it’s my brother… awww thanks. Yeah, Sammy, what’s up?”

Trust Dean to be making friends. “Rānī spotted. Third row from the back. Ten seats from the middle aisle, stage left.”

The woman begins to get up from her seat.

“Shit, Dean, she’s moving. I’m gonna follow.”

“Stay on the line, keep me updated and keep your distance. I’ll come back you up.”

“Right.” Sam casually holds the cell to his left ear and keeps his right hand ready to pull out his bamboo stake.

The Rānī starts heading towards the main elevators. “Dean, she’s going for the elevators.”

“Follow her!”

Catching up, Sam casually slips into the same elevator as the Rānī, just as the doors are closing. They’re the only occupants. Sam spots that she’s heading to the ninth floor.

“Which floor?” The Rānī asks, voice soft and floating.

“Ninth too,” Sam says casually, as if just taking a moment away from his call. “Right, I’ll see you in a bit, hon.” Sam stows his cell, leaving it on.

Sam smiles at the Rānī. “So, you here for the Championship too?”

“Mmhmmm, you could say that.” The Rānī eyes Sam up and suddenly he feels like he knows who it’s chosen for its mate. Unfortunately for Sam, , _A Land Before Mao: The Preternatural in the Orient Before the Rise of Communism_ had not been clear on whether the human mates tended to survive the process.

Casually, the Rānī closes the distance between them and then not so casually strokes the side of Sam’s face. If Sam had any doubt that this was the monster they had been hunting, it disappears with this unwanted contact.

Sam swallows and smiles again. “Y’know, the guys and gals entering really do put a lot of effort in,” Sam stalls, trying to ease his hand towards the stake in the back of his dress slacks.

“I’m sure they all do,” the Rānī agrees and tries to pull Sam down into a kiss.

Grabbing the bamboo stake from his slacks, Sam yanks it out and flips it. Before the Rānī can react, he stabs the goat's blood covered end into her heart and pushes her away.

The creature screams as blood blossoms at its chest and there’s tiny thuds onto the floor of the elevator. Sam suddenly has to cover his head as a dozen jhūṭā bhālu birālō fall from the walls and ceiling, now suddenly visible and dying along with their queen.

Falling onto a pile of its brood, the queen gives Sam one pitiful final glare before closing its eyes and dying. Distantly, Sam hears someone yelling.

Picking his cell out of his pocket, Sam puts it to his ear. “I’m here! It’s done…”

***

Elevator doors opening onto the ninth floor, Jody rushes out of it and into Sam. Dean pulls out a cart covered in maid cleaning supplies and pillow cases. Jody ignores what needs to be done as she makes Sam wrap himself around her and pulls his face down to kiss him again and again.

“Anyone’d think you’re a pair of horny high schoolers,” Dean moans from behind them as he begins to bag the dead jhūṭā bhālu birālō in pillow cases.

Sam groans at that, only Jody’s muffling the sound with her mouth. She lets Sam pull her closer and things are definitely happening, but then common sense reminds Jody that she’s stood beside an elevator that’s filled with dead things that need to be handled. Plus Dean’s there. Ending the kiss, Jody looks up into Sam’s eyes and smiles.

“We better help your brother out,” Jody points out.

“Damn right you should!” Dean grumps from the elevator.

The jhūṭā bhālu birālō that are in the elevator are easy to pile onto the maid’s cart, stuffed inside pillowcases. Removing the body of the Rānī proves to be more difficult, but they manage.

Not long after hacking security for the hotel—and deleting the footage from around the elevator for the two hours around the attack—the three of them are back at the diner from this morning. Jody has excused herself from her judging duties.

They’re having lunch when Jody’s cell rings. She answers it to talk to one of her deputies. “Oh, what’s that? Mmm… Strange creatures… and Fancher thinks they fit the ones suspected in the attacks.... Well of course I want you to co-operate with the FBI… Then do your job and let me get back to my vacation… I expect a full report when I get back.” Jody hangs up.

“You’re still taking some vacation time?” Sam asks nonchalantly.

Jody nods. “Yep. There’s this nice little B&B in Nebraska I’ve been meaning to visit. Wanna come?” She’s not sure what to expect Sam will say. Unsure if what they’d had in the Bunker had been a one time thing. _Kisses are one thing, but heading to a B &B… will he go for it?_

“I need a moment to think about it,” Sam replies with a grin and then gets up to go to the men’s room.

Jody takes a sip of coffee and levels her gaze at Dean. “You need to realize just… how big a deal the angel business was for Sam.”

Dean freezes and then half-shouts, “You weren’t there. He… I had to do something.”

“But at what cost? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am glad he is still with us. But he feels a huge sense of betrayal at what you did.” Jody frowns.

“I… know. Okay, he’s already told me.”

“Alright then. You need to realize that Sam isn’t just going to warm to you overnight. It’s going to take time for all of this to heal.”

Dean sighs. “You’re right.”

The door to the men’s room swings again and Jody turns to face Sam as he returns to their table.

“Have you made a decision?” Jody asks.

The answer Jody gets is Sam’s huge hands on the sides of her face and a kiss that quickly progresses to tongues on tongues and a handful of happy moans.

“Oh for...” Dean complains. “Get a room!”

Jody gives him in the middle finger as she continues to kiss Sam.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time writing Sam and Jody together and my first time creating a monster of my own imagining. When it came to the monster concept I was like: "Why don't I make something that I find really cute... absolutely terrifying?"


End file.
